John Huston -- who would later play the incestuous tycoon in Chinatown, also on this list -- made his directorial debut with this 1941 private-dick classic. Humphrey Bogart, as Dashiell Hammett's Sam Spade, headlines a cast of archetypes: Mary Astor's femme fatale, Peter Lorre's sniveling gangster, Sydney Greenstreet's plotting fat man. The film, by today's standards, almost plays as cliched, so familiar and well-trodden are its premise and characters.

But damn if Bogart's Spade isn't a likable, cynical bastard… and besides, if it weren't for Sam Spade, there would be no Rick Deckard.

16. City of God

Even crime films based on true stories are heavily jazzed up in the transition to Hollywood. City of God is crime drama at its most raw and powerful. This Brazilian film depicts the horrific violence and suffering that occur in the slums of Rio, much of it involving children. With a gripping story and actors pulled straight from the streets of Brazil, City of God is authentic and a true rival to similar American crime dramas.

15. Serpico

Sidney Lumet's fact-based cop drama follows NYPD officer Frank Serpico (Al Pacino), a wide-eyed idealist who quickly becomes disillusioned and angered by the corruption he finds within the department. Becoming an unorthodox lone wolf narc, Serpico only stirs up more trouble when he refuses bribes, a noble action that makes his fellow detectives distrust him even more.

Pushed to breaking point, Serpico soon agrees to cooperate with authorities who are out to rid the NYPD of its graft. That fateful decision nearly costs Serpico his life when he's shot in the line of duty. Lumet and Pacino deliver a unique, gritty take on the procedural aspect of this true story, and in doing so give us one of the 1970s' signature films.

14. Strangers on a Train

Not exactly a cops-and-robbers kind of crime picture, Alfred Hitchcock's Strangers on a Train is nonetheless a captivating examination of guilt, innocence and the sometimes hazy realm that lies between the two. Farley Granger stars as a famed tennis player who inadvertently strikes a murderous bargain with Robert Walker's crazed fanboy stalker, resulting in the murder of Granger's estranged wife.

But did Granger's character really want Walker to commit the crime, even if he wasn't conscious of it himself? This is the kind of theme Hitchcock loves, which is why we still love Strangers on a Train, more than 60 years after it was first released.

13. Bonnie and Clyde

Beautiful bad guys as our protagonists? What a novel idea! Realistic violence and sexuality, or something approaching it? Why not! This was 1967's Bonnie and Clyde, a key work in the transition between old-school Hollywood and the new, vibrant wave of films that would transform American cinema.

Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway star as the famed, doomed pair of real-life criminals, bank robbers and would-be Robin Hoods to the Depression-era poor of Middle America. It all leads up to one of the most famous, gut-wrenching finales in movie history. Man, that still stings...

12. Fargo

Another Coen Bros. film? We're noticing a bit of a trend here, but this is one of the best films in this duo's repertoire. As much a black comedy as it is a crime drama, Fargo depicts the colorful residents of snowy Minnesota as a simple staged kidnapping turns into a murder investigation.

The plot is as bleak as the snowy wastelands that define much of the film, but the Coens ensure viewers will also be chuckling until the end.

11. Heat

Michael Mann's 1995 crime saga follows LAPD Robbery/Homicide detective Lt. Vincent Hanna (Al Pacino) as he pursues his elusive doppleganger, master thief Neil McCauley (Robert De Niro). Hanna's obsessive quest to catch his prey has left his personal life in shambles, including a busted marriage and a suicidal stepdaughter.

Despite the toll his work has taken on him, the dapper but driven Vincent relentlessly hunts Neil, whose own personal life is just as complicated and solitary. Heat features several exciting heist sequences, including a now-classic shootout in downtown L.A.

10. Double Indemnity

How can a black-and-white thriller about life insurance and adultery be remotely entertaining, you ask? Shame on you, spoiled Hollywood movie watcher. With Billy Wilder directing, and a script by Wilder and author Raymond Chandler in play, this polished exercise holds up better than most modern films.

The 1944 release has energy and crackling dialogue to spare, as we follow an insurance rep (Fred MacMurray) fall for a client's scheme to murder her husband so she can collect the insurance money. The title comes from a Double Indemnity clause in the policy, which leads to perfect film noir detective work, as an investigator closes in on the double-crossing lovers' plot.